University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes
September 01, 2007 | Football
Game Notes (PDF)
Noting Tennessee
Tennessee opens the season 0-1; California gets off to a 1-0 start.
The Vols entered the game ranked No. 15 in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls; California was ranked No. 12 in both polls. Today???s game was the only opening-weekend matchup in the country featuring two ranked teams.
Tennessee returns to action Sept. 8 when it hosts Southern Mississippi at Neyland Stadium in the Vols??? 2007 home-opener. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the game will be televised on VideoSeat Pay-Per-View.
Tennessee-California Series
Tennessee???s all-time series with California is now tied 2-2, dating to 1977. That record includes a 2-1 mark for the Vols in Knoxville and an 0-1 record against the Golden Bears in Berkeley.
Today???s contest marked the second meeting between UT head coach Phillip Fulmer and Golden Bears coach Jeff Tedford, with each coach boasting one win.
Phillip Fulmer???s Record
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer???s record now stands at 137-42 (.765) in 16 seasons with the Vols.
Fulmer now owns a 48-13 record against non-conference opponents and a 4-2 mark against current members of the Pac-10.
Ainge Accurate as Always
Vols senior quarterback Erik Ainge, playing with a fractured little finger on his right (throwing) hand, was 32-for-47 today for 271 yards and three TDs. His 32 completions marked a new career high, breaking his old mark of 28 vs. Alabama in 2006.
Ainge, a native of Hillsboro, Ore., completed his first 10 passes for 91 yards and a TD. Last year, he had streaks of 15 straight completions vs. Air Force and 11 straight at Vanderbilt.
With his performance today, Ainge moved past former Vols quarterback Tee Martin (1996-99) into fifth place on UT???s career offense list. Ainge now boasts 5,249 career yards of total offense.
Ainge is now 17-7 as a starter, including a 9-2 record on the road.
Foster Solid in Return to Home State
Junior Tennessee tailback Arian Foster was the Vols??? leading rusher, totaling 89 yards on 13 carries.
Foster put the Vols on the scoreboard with a 12-yard TD reception in the first quarter. It was the San Diego, Calif., native???s first career receiving TD and the 11th TD of his career.
Foster also had the two longest kickoff returns of his career, posting returns of 23 and 68 yards. His 68-yard return following Cal???s first-quarter, 1-yard TD run was the longest kickoff return by a Vol since Mark Jones ran one back 82 yards for a TD vs. Alabama on Oct. 26, 2002. Tennessee???s longest kickoff return last season was 40 yards.
Noting the Defense
Junior linebacker Jerod Mayo led the Vols with 10 tackles today. Mayo reached a career milestone, logging his 100th career tackle.
Freshman defensive back Eric Berry became the first defensive player???and just the third player overall???in the Phillip Fulmer era to start a Tennessee season-opener as a true freshman. The Vols??? first defensive alignment of the game included just three down lineman and five defensive backs. Bery joins Michael Munoz (OT, 2000)???and Brent Schaeffer (QB, 2004) as the only true freshmen to start a season-opener for a Fulmer-coached team. Berry finished with seven tackles.
Cal???s 45 points were the most scored against Tennessee since Florida handed the Vols a 62-37 loss in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 16, 1995
The Golden Bears??? 31 first-half points marked the most by a UT opponent since Auburn scored 31 on Oct. 2, 2004 in Knoxville. The only other time a Fulmer-era UT team allowed at least 31 first-half points was vs. Florida on Sept. 21, 1996 (35 points).
Miscellaneous Notes
Today???s attendance was 72,516, a Memorial Stadium sellout.
Tennessee???s game captains today were seniors Eric Ainge, Jonathan Hefney, Xavier Mitchell and Eric Young.
Tennessee junior wide receiver Lucas Taylor hauled in a career-long 43 yard pass during UT???s second-quarter scoring drive that ended with a TD pass from Erik Ainge to senior tight end Chris Brown. Brown added another TD reception in the third quarter, giving him four for his career; three of those have come against Cal in season-openers. Taylor, meanwhile, also posted career-highs in receptions (six) and yards (103).
Another Vols wideout, sophomore Austin Rogers, stepped up for UT???s young receiver corps. Rogers caught a career-best six passes after entering the game with six catches for his career.
In his debut as UT???s starting placekicker, redshirt freshman Daniel Lincoln made good on his only field-goal attempt (41 yards) and was 4-for-4 on extra-point tries.
The following Vols made their first career start today: Eric Berry, Demonte` Bolden, Jeff Cottam and Antonio Gaines.
The following Vols made their Tennessee debuts today: Eric Berry, Lennon Creer, Chad Cunningham, Ryan Hill, Daniel Lincoln, Nevin McKenzie, Denarius Moore, Kenny O???Neal, Nick Reveiz, Luke Stocker, LaMarcus Thompson, Brent Vinson, Chris Walker and DeAngelo Willingham. A total of five true freshmen saw action today.
Tennessee is just the second Southeastern Conference team ever to face California in Memorial Stadium. Former SEC???school Tulane dropped a 7-3 contest to the Golden Bears in 1960, when the Green Wave was still a member of the SEC.
